AKIO ARAKAWA HAS been a leader in the field of atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) development from its beginning. AGCMs are essential tools for studies of global warming and projecting the consequences of anthropogenic climate change. Arakawa's inventiveness and extraordinary insight on atmospheric processes have resulted in fundamental contributions to the design of AGCMs in several areas, primarily: 1) numerical schemes suitable for the long model integrations required by climate studies; 2) modeling of cloud processes including cumulus parameterization; and 3) modeling of planetary boundary layer (PBL) processes. His work has influenced the design of practically all numerical weather and climate prediction models.

Arakawa obtained his B.Sc. in physics and D.Sc. in meteorology from the University of Tokyo in 1950 and 1961, respectively. From 1961 to ...